[Bug 535417] Re: mdadm monitor feature broken, email notification not set up, nor using beep/wall/notify-send

[ceg]

** Description changed:

  Binary package hint: mdadm
  
  Anybody who cares about redundancy to use mdadm probably cares enough
  about redundancy to want being informed if redundancy is degraded.
  
  Debian systems do have at least local mail enabled and package mdadm
  asks for a mail address to notify during mdadm install.
  
- By default ubuntu system support no local mail and mdadm package was
- patched to suppress the debconf email question, without setting up mdadm
- --monitor to use wall or notify-send as an alternative.
+ By default ubuntu systems do not support local mail, and the mdadm
+ package was patched to suppress the installation of an MTA/MDA (only if
+ installed during the initial installation Bug #379882 ), without
+ adapting mdadm --monitor to use "wall" or "notify-send" as a
+ replacement.
  
- As informing a human is a serious data protection topic mdadm should
+ As informing a human is a serious data protection topic, mdadm should
  depend on a package providing at least local mail services and/or use
  beep/wall/notify-send to get the message out.
  
  ---
  
  The monitoring facility of mdadm is very important to get notice if
  somthing goes wrong with your raid.
  
  So you can replace disks etc. ahead of a total failure.
  
  To send out notifications mdadm needs a sendmail command (MTA mail
  transport agent ).
  
  To deliver mail localy you need a mail delivery agent (MDA)
  
  Things like exim, postfix open network ports and are large and not easy
  to configure, but of course provide the sendmail command and delivery.
  
- If no MTA/MDA is installed, yes mdadm should pull in (require) one.
- However, maybe a small replacement like esmtp + procmail (if they are
- supported) instead of postfix on desktops.
- 
- ---
- 
- Workaround to manually set up local delivery for email send to "root":
- 
- #apt-get install postfix procmail
- # (choose to configure for local use only)
- #echo "root: <YOUR-USER-NAME-HERE>" >> /etc/aliases
- #newaliases
- #mdadm --monitor /dev/md0 --test
- #^C
- 
- Then set up an mail program to check for email in your local mailbox
- (/var/mail/<YOUR-USER-NAME-HERE>).
+ If no MTA/MDA is installed, yes mdadm should pull in (require) one,
+ maybe a replacement like esmtp + procmail (if they are supported) but
+ not postfix on desktops.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/535417

Title:
  mdadm monitor feature broken, email notification not set up, nor using
  beep/wall/notify-send

Status in “mdadm” package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  Binary package hint: mdadm

  Anybody who cares about redundancy to use mdadm probably cares enough
  about redundancy to want being informed if redundancy is degraded.

  Debian systems do have at least local mail enabled and package mdadm
  asks for a mail address to notify during mdadm install.

  By default ubuntu systems do not support local mail, and the mdadm
  package was patched to suppress the installation of an MTA/MDA (only
  if installed during the initial installation Bug #379882 ), without
  adapting mdadm --monitor to use "wall" or "notify-send" as a
  replacement.

  As informing a human is a serious data protection topic, mdadm should
  depend on a package providing at least local mail services and/or use
  beep/wall/notify-send to get the message out.

  ---

  The monitoring facility of mdadm is very important to get notice if
  somthing goes wrong with your raid.

  So you can replace disks etc. ahead of a total failure.

  To send out notifications mdadm needs a sendmail command (MTA mail
  transport agent ).

  To deliver mail localy you need a mail delivery agent (MDA)

  Things like exim, postfix open network ports and are large and not
  easy to configure, but of course provide the sendmail command and
  delivery.

  
  If no MTA/MDA is installed, yes mdadm should pull in (require) one.
  However, maybe a small replacement like esmtp + procmail (if they are
  supported) instead of postfix on desktops.
    
  ---
    
  Workaround to manually set up local delivery for email send to "root":
   
   #apt-get install postfix procmail
   # (choose to configure for local use only)
   #echo "root: <YOUR-USER-NAME-HERE>" >> /etc/aliases
   #newaliases
   #mdadm --monitor /dev/md0 --test
   #^C

  Then set up an mail program or to check for email in your local mailbox
  (/var/mail/<YOUR-USER-NAME-HERE>).

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